Blushing in Dungeons
by buttonsandbows
Summary: Hogwarts AU- It's Molly Hooper's last year at Hogwarts. The whole time she's been there, she's done her best to avoid Irene Adler. But she can't anymore, especially when she's in a hallway waiting for a friend and Irene is walking towards her with that smug smile on her lips.


_This is my first attempt at writing these two, I got the idea and I had to write it out. I hope you enjoy it!_

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><p>It was Molly Hooper's last year at Hogwarts, next year she would start training to work at St. Mungo's. She would be discarding her Hufflepuff robes for ones worn by morticians at the hospital. It would be the first step into the world away from her sheltering parents. Both Ravenclaw, as she was expected to be; and both doctors, the expectation likewise. When Molly wrote her first letter home from school, the bright-eyed and smile-clad new Hufflepuff was so excited. It had never occurred to her that her parents would be disappointed that their little girl didn't make Ravenclaw, and it didn't occur to her until after a few years of school that this was her first step off the path they had for her.<p>

Molly was smart; there was no doubt about it. The intelligence of her parents and theirs ran in blood, but stopped at the heart. Molly's was geared towards loyalty, kindness, and acceptance more than logic, reason, and creativity. Not that she wasn't all of these things of course, but when given the choice, would choose helping a friend over picking up a potions book. Helping people made her just plain happier.

It was also Irene Adler's last year. The Slytherin girl-No. That's a statement she would dispute. The Slytherin _woman_ looked forward to leaving the school, but for an entirely different reason than Molly Hooper. The school held her back, in her mind. She had infinite potential; it was clear in everything she did. It didn't help that nearly half of her time outside of classes was showing this in a mildly violent way, and the other half was getting herself out of it. Which wasn't as hard as it seems, when you know what certain professors like.

Exploiting her looks was something she was comfortable with, or at least, comfortable enough with. If showing her ass got her in trouble, it would also get her out of it. She didn't mind when her charms professor's eyes slipped lower than they should have, or when the head of the Slytherin House kept her hand on Irene's shoulder two seconds longer than necessary. In fact, those moments made her feel powerful. Like she was even further ahead of everyone else than usual. It was the time spent afterwards, thinking about it, that made her feel… less then superior. She wondered if this was normal, if girls-no-women, did anything they could to get further ahead. And while the attention was good and something to be thrived off of, she couldn't help but wonder if it was all she would ever get. Not that that was a problem, of course not. It was just, you know, a frequently-passing thought.

She was walking down the corridor after classes, off to the divination professor's classroom to try to avoid detention for the fifth time this month, when she saw the Hooper girl out of the corner of her eye. They were the same year; their compartments were next to each other on the train coming back to school. They'd never _really_ talked, but Irene knew. Irene saw the way Molly's eyes darted away as soon as she turned to look at the girl. Irene always made a point of smiling to her when this happened, and enjoyed the pink that quickly made its way onto Molly's face. Irene wouldn't admit it, but she thought the girl was sweet. She was pretty, her long brown hair against her pale skin and her hazel eyes, especially in the light. And most certainly _not_ the kind of person Irene Adler made it a point to look at in her free time. Which was why she was wondering why she was walking towards the girl right now, when she should be on her way to save her own ass.

Molly looked up from the floor as she waited for her friend, her shyness something she had always hated. Her eyes widened when she saw Irene heading her way. Irene's smile nearly made her take the book in her hand and cover her face, but she didn't, as her nerves paralyzed her and cursed her to remain motionless.

"It's Molly, right? Molly Hooper?" Her voice was like honey and good lord if Molly had the guts, she would've said something other than-

"Y-yes," The question finally caught up to her mind, and a timid smile appeared on her face. Molly held out her hand, as she had always been taught to, but was still surprised when Irene took it.

"Irene Adler," She spoke with confidence. She took Molly's hand, noting the pale pink fingernail polish and smiling even more.

"I know," And Molly did, all too well, and against her own chagrin. And she wished she hadn't of said those two words because Irene's response made her want to cringe.

"Oh, do you?" The red smile on Irene's lips turned into a smirk as she let the girl's hand go. "And how? I don't believe we've _formally_ met before."

While dumbstruck, Molly still hadn't lost her wits, and responded to the ambiguous innuendo with logic. "Well, you know who I am, even though we haven't formally met before. Why shouldn't I know who you are?"

Irene was impressed; she didn't think the girl had it in her. So when Irene raised an eyebrow, Molly thought that she had upset her.

"Well played, Miss Hooper," she complimented, something she rarely did and _why was she starting now?_

The pink that Irene was all too familiar with rushed its way back onto Molly's cheeks, along with a smile to match. "Thank you. And Molly, please."

Unfortunately, that's when Molly's friend decided to finish flirting with the boy in their charms class, and appeared at Molly's side. She scowled at the girl before them. "Hello, Irene," she said coolly, before standing up straighter.

"Sarah, what a pleasure making your acquaintance. Though I'm sure John over there couldn't say the same," Irene had no fear as she bit back, causing blotches of red to appear on the girl's face.

"C'mon Molly, we have to go," Sarah nearly took Molly's arm out of its socket pulling her away, causing Molly to drop the book in her hands.

"Hold on a second," she called after her friend as she knelt, who had already made it ten paces away, and was now standing impatiently with her arms crossed.

Irene was quicker, grabbing the book up before whipping out a quill that had just enough ink left from her previous lesson to scribble out a bit. She grinned at Molly, opening the book and writing on the first blank page. The rictus, yes, that's what it's called, Molly remembered that from the book she was reading on post-mortems, had set in with her. She watched, her mouth agape, as Irene wrote something in her book. When she was done, Irene did the unthinkable by kissing the page, leaving a red mark next to the messy-but-beautiful script. As her lips met the paper, her eyes locked with Molly's.

"You'd better get back to your friend over there," Irene handed the book back to Molly with a smirk on her face. "See you later… Molly." She turned on her heel, walking away, with a sly grin. Irene didn't even bother looking back, and didn't need to in order to know that Molly's previously pink face was now scarlet.

As Molly walked back over to Sarah, slower than her usual brisk pace, she clutched the book in her hands.

"What was that about?" Sarah sneered, evidently less than pleased that Molly had associated with Irene.

"I-I don't know," Molly stammered, and it was the truth.

"Why did she hold your book up to her face? Weirdo," her friend sighed, dragging a dazed Molly back to the Hufflepuff basement.

Irene had made her way to the divination room, not even bothering to knock on the closed door. "Hello?" The seemingly empty room echoed her voice, when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Adler," the voice nearly hissed. "What a pleasure of you to visit." The man made his way to face her, removing his hand only after he smiled at her.

"I'm sure it's all mine, professor," she purred, playing along and hoping that this wouldn't take too much time.

The smile grew on the man in front of her. "How can I help you?"

"Well, you gave me a detention today in class, and I was wondering if there was any way I could get out of it." Coy and unassuming is what he liked, and she was more than willing to comply with those guidelines if it meant she could have a free evening tomorrow.

"Of course there is, babe," at his words, Irene wanted to punch the man more than anything else, but willed herself to smile sweetly.

"What do I need to do? I can write an extra paper about tea leaves or crystals, if you want," she offered, knowing that plants and rocks were the last things on his mind.

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><p>When Molly got back to the Common Room, she abandoned Sarah, and headed straight for the dormitories. She was relieved to find that she was alone in the room of beds. Bracing herself, her eyes were closed as she opened the book, and it took everything inside of her to open them.<p>

"_Meet me tonight in the Great Hall, after dinner. You know where to find me; you've paid attention long enough. xxx Irene" _

Molly swallowed hard, how had Irene known that? It didn't matter, what mattered was that she knew and she had invited Molly to… well… Molly didn't know. There was no way on earth she could go, after dinner students were instructed to go back to their dormitories. And Molly believed that she couldn't go, wholeheartedly, even when she put on a little bit of mascara and lipstick before leaving for the Great Hall. She believed it all through dinner, too. But when she looked over to the Slytherin table across the Hall and saw Irene looking at her, followed by a wink, Molly knew she couldn't lie to herself any more. Of course she was going to go.

She ate slowly, what little she did eat. Her stomach was churning, and she kept her eyes on her plate the whole time. Smalltalk with her friends ceased after they realized she wasn't in the mood, and the time went by slower than ever. When the meal was finally over, she was the last to stand up. Molly walked slowly to the end of a certain corridor which was always barren this time of night, save for one Irene Adler. Molly's eyes were glued to the floor, not daring to look up, until she had reached the crossed-arm girl now in front of her.

"You got my message," Irene smile-smirked, the position of her lips could be classified as either one.

"How could I not have?" Molly next to mumbled.

"Subtlety has never been a strong suit of mine, has it?" It was most definitely a grin on Irene's face now. "You would know, all the attention you put into me."

"I-I don't-"Realizing that it was useless arguing, she cut herself off.

"Hush, dear, no need to explain. Trust me, you aren't the only one." Irene turned the corner, gesturing for Molly to follow. And Molly did.

"Where are we going?" She whispered after a while of walking, trying to keep her voice down while simultaneously trying to make Irene hear her. Molly still had no idea why she came, or why she trusted Irene just like that.

Irene was silent for a few moments, and Molly was ready to ask again, not sure if her inquiry had been heard.

"Have you ever been inside the Slytherin Common Room before, Molly? Or a dungeon, for that matter?" Molly's one simple question was met with two as they stopped in front of a stone wall.

"No," Molly's voice was almost too soft to be heard, but Irene was standing close enough to hear it.

A small smile worked its way onto Irene's face. "Well today's your lucky day, Molly Hooper."

Before Molly could object, Irene said something she could tell wasn't directed towards her. And even if it was, Molly wouldn't have heard it anyway because all she currently heard was the blood in her ears. The stone wall started moving around, and then opened up, leading to a larger room. The Slytherin Common Room.

"What about everyone else? They'll know I don't belong here…" Molly was worried that that was her main concern. Not that she would get caught, or that maybe this is some sick prank played by the Slytherins. But not belonging.

"They're all having a party tonight, to celebrate our quidditch team's win over Gryffindor," Irene explained, which she saw did nothing to calm the girl next to her.

"But they'll still know I'm-"Molly was cut off by an understanding smile on Irene's face.

"…And it's on the quidditch pitch. They're taking it over tonight, the idiots really think that they won't get caught," Irene rolled her eyes, showing how distasteful she truly believed the event to be.

"Oh," was all that Molly said, before Irene took her hand and had started walking into the hallway. Molly kept up with Irene's pace, until they reached the Common Room itself. Which was, in the least, far prettier than Molly had expected. Green tapestries hung from the walls. Large windows showing the lake glowed dark green, the last minutes of sunlight still visible. Dark chandeliers and leather furniture only added to the class.

"How does it feel, Molly? Being the first Hufflepuff to step foot in the Slytherin Commons. Although, that might not be true because there is a little tale that Helga Hufflepuff was sleeping with Salazar Slytherin, but we'll just consider it false right now." A smirking Irene let Molly's hand go, walking further into the room and looking back the whole time to watch Molly take in the whole picture.

"It-it's..Wow…" That was all Molly could manage as she looked all around. Irene smiled at her.

"Care to come take a seat?" She was already sitting, her legs crossed as she rested casually on the leather sofa.

Molly looked back down from the ceiling, to see Irene lying on the couch. She nodded and walked over, sitting on the edge of the next couch over_. As far away from Irene as possible_. Amused, Irene sat up.

"No need to be shy, dear. I don't bite, usually," Irene grinned, causing Molly to blush and giggle nervously.

"I know," Molly smiled.

"Then come over here," Irene patted the cushion next to hers.

"If I do, will you tell me why you brought me here?" Molly suddenly realized just how nervous she was and more prominent, _why_ she was nervous.

"It sounds like a deal to me," Irene shrugged, scooting over a little to give Molly more space.

Molly stood up, and hesitantly walked over and sat on the edge of the seat next to Irene. "So, why?" She looked at Irene, hoping that there was a slight chance her eyes looked more assertive, but she knew she looked frightened more than anything.

Irene had sympathy for the girl, but that didn't stop her from moving closer to Molly. "We had never officially met before. And I thought that it was time we did," She said simply, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"In the Slytherin Common Room, after hours, on a Friday night? Surely another meeting place and time would've been more appropriate," Molly countered.

"Oh I know. But didn't want anything too appropriate," Irene loved seeing Molly blush, and knew what she said would make it happen. And as predicted, it did. "If you're so against it all, then, why did you come with me?"

Molly didn't have an answer to this. She just sat there, looking down at her hands which were fiddling with her robes.

"Molly…" Irene spoke gently, "Would you like me to help you out here?"

Molly said nothing, and just kept looking away, no matter how imploring Irene's eyes were. Irene scooted closer over to Molly, so that their knees were touching. Molly almost pulled away from the contact, but Irene spoke again.

"You came here, with me, because you like me. Is that right Molly?"

If this was some sick joke, if all the Slytherins were hiding somewhere in the seemingly empty Common Room, it had to end now; before Molly humiliated herself any more.

Molly swallowed hard, and Irene could tell that she was about to deny it. That couldn't happen.

"I see it, you know," Irene started. "The way you look at me in between classes, when you saw that I chose the compartment next to yours on the train this year. That cute look on your face when you get flustered. You could've just said hello."

Molly kept her eyes diverted, trying not to smile when Irene called her cute. "First of all, you were dating Jim until recently, and second-"

"Jim's as gay as they come, Molly," Irene smiled. "But we're no longer…seeing each other. What was the second thing?"

She mumbled out a jumbled cluster of words, looking away even more to hide the fear and upset on her face.

"What was that, dear?" Irene didn't understand the collection of sounds that had left Molly's mouth.

"I said," Molly whispered, "I'm not supposed to like girls. Like that."

Irene smiled an understanding smile. "But you do, don't you? You like me, like that?"

Molly nodded. She did. Molly did like her like that.

"It's okay that you like me. There's nothing wrong with that, Molly," Irene put her hand on Molly's knee, and this time, Molly pulled away.

"Yes there is!" Molly insisted. "I've already done things and made decisions I'm not supposed to, and they've lived with it, but this would just send them over the edge. Me liking girls. I mean, I like boys, too. Just Sherlock, really. But I can't like girls, it's not normal. I'm not supposed to."

"Why aren't you allowed to like girls, Molly? Who tells you that it isn't normal?" It hurt a little more than Irene had expected, listening to Molly's speech.

"You know. My parents. They just want what's best for me. I think." Molly trailed off at the end. She wasn't sure if she believed the last part anymore or not.

"Really? So, telling you who to love when it obviously isn't what you want and won't make you happy is what's best for you?"

"I guess? They say it's wrong, that it's not right. And I never really agreed with it, I just accept people for who they are, but I never thought it would apply to me until… now." Molly finally looked up to Irene, daring to meet her eyes.

"I'm the first girl you've liked?" Irene wasn't shocked, and her voice was calm. It sounded like she was trying to understand what Molly was saying more than anything.

"Yes. And I hated you for it. You're everything I'm not supposed to be." Molly felt her eyes start to sting, and looked away again. She couldn't cry, not now. "And everything I want to be."

"I remember one time. In our first year. I was walking to class when I heard someone crying from the toilets," Irene started. Molly shut her eyes tight, she remember that day too well. It was the day it had started.

"So I went in, looking for the person sobbing. It was you, Molly. You were sitting on the floor crying, hard, like I had never seen anyone cry before. You didn't really say much in between the tears, but I got all I needed to know by the mumbled words and the letter on the ground."

A tear slid out from Molly's closed eyes.

"It was a letter from your parents, asking why you didn't get Ravenclaw. They wanted to know why you valued kindness over intelligence, and they didn't seem happy about it," Irene continued, knowing that Molly knew the rest.

"So I stayed with you, you didn't go to potions and I didn't go to charms and we sat there, I was silent and you were crying. And we didn't talk, but you knew what I meant by being there. You ran out after that, looking back only once."

"What else was I supposed to do?!" Molly snapped, hearing enough. "I wasn't in the position to make friends with a Slytherin! If my parents heard, god only knows what I'd get for that! You saw what happened when I told them about not making Ravenclaw." She closed her eyes. "And if they know I like a girl, that I've liked a girl, especially one that could do so much better than me and who is in Slytherin and who doesn't like me -"

Molly was cut off by Irene's lips crashing against hers. Irene cupped Molly's face, gently rubbing a thumb across Molly's cheekbone to wipe away a tear. She was hesitant at first not knowing how she wanted to react, but she soon decided and kissed Irene back. Molly tangled her fingers into Irene's dark, wavy hair. And it was softer than she imagined, she thought to herself, as Irene deepened the kiss. She tucked a loose strand of Molly's hair behind her ear and kept her hand there; Molly moved her hands to Irene's shoulders. They both broke away at the same time for air, their breaths hot and heavy and mixing as their lips were next to touching again.

"Back," Molly breathed, finishing her sentence and opening her dark eyes to look into Irene's, dropping her hands to her lap.

"Now what would make you think that?" Irene grinned, dragging her hands down Molly's face to settle them on the girl's shoulders. She slowly stroked Molly's shoulder blades with her thumbs.

"I-I don't know," Molly blushed.

"Well I hope you don't think that after what just happened," Irene smiled. "I think I like you, Molly Hooper."

Molly had to laugh. "You think? That didn't feel like you just think." She paused, a soft smile forming on her face. "It didn't feel wrong, either."

"You're right. It's more than a think. I like you, Molly. I'm sure," she purred, grinning.

Spellbound, it took Molly a couple of second to respond. "I-I like you, too," she stuttered.

"I believe we established that earlier, darling," Irene chuckled, slowly pressing a quick kiss to Molly's lips. Molly smiled.

"So what happens now?" She asked, pressing her forehead to Irene's. The contact felt nice, just like knowing Irene liked her back.

"Well, if you want to make this a thing, I'm more than game to do that. It's really your call, dear. I know you're worried about what mummy and daddy will think."

Molly frowned. That kind of ruined the moment. Irene sensed this immediately, and moved to tuck the same loose strand of hair behind Molly's ear again. She smiled wide. "Mummy's not here to tell you no this time," Irene whispered.

The frown turned back into a soft smile. Molly appreciated what Irene was trying to do. "I want to… Make this a thing… But if they ever found out…" She shook her head.

"We don't have to tell anyone, I promise. Just you and I, a secret between us. How does that sound?" Irene put a hand to Molly's cheek. Molly thought for a second before nodding,

"Good girl," Molly was praised with a pat to her cheek. "Sneaking around corridors, behind closed doors, in between classes. It's our last year, sweetheart, and we're going to make it a fun one."

Molly nodded and smiled and couldn't stop thinking about how exciting and terrifying this world that Irene was dragging her into would be. Dragging wasn't the right word, because Molly was going willingly.

"Can we do it again?" Molly asked, her eyes wide and no longer forming tears. "Kissing? I liked it. It felt nice…" She blushed.

Irene laughed softly, nodding. "Of course we can. We can do whatever you want," she raised her eyebrows.

Molly's faced turned redder. "No, I don't want to do _that_." She smiled, and then realized what that sounded like. "No, I don't mean I don't want to, I just mean not right now, not never, I mean maybe not anytime soon because you know we've only just started, I mean not like we're going to wait forever but not immediately, I mean whenever you want, I've just, I haven't before and-"

"Molly," Irene smiled, placing a finger on Molly's lips. Her face was absolutely scarlet now, her monologue embarrassing her entirely. "It's alright. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Whenever you're ready, okay? But I think you'd like to take this slower, am I right?" Irene cooed gently, letting her know that her intentions for the night weren't too explicit.

Molly nodded, thankful that Irene understood. Irene's reputation was well known around the school, and so was Molly's lack of one. Irene took her finger off of Molly's lips, and as soon as she did, Molly surprised her by kissing her back.

Irene grinned against Molly's lips, reaching her hands down to grip Molly's waist. She pulled her closer, and onto her lap so that Molly was straddling her. Molly went willingly, her arms wrapping around Irene's neck. Irene grazed her tongue over Molly's bottom lip, sending shivers down Molly's spine. When Irene softly nibbled on Molly's lip, Molly broke away.

"What's wrong?" Irene looked up at her, and held her waist tighter out of concern. She was never this careful or cautious, and didn't know why she was starting now. Irene didn't want to move this too fast for Molly, and wanted her to be comfortable.

Molly just giggled. "You said that you don't usually bite," she smiled.

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><p><em>I'm not sure if I want to keep this here, or make it a multichapter fic. Let me know if you'd like it extended, I may write another part to this if it's received well. Thank you for reading! <em>


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